Immigration Showdown in the Capitol Begins

On Sunday, New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte indicated that she would support the gang of eight immigration bill that was crafted by a group of bipartisan senators. Just last week, an amendment to end the deferred action program (DACA) passed in the House of Representatives (read about that here) that was split largely along party lines. The Senate will begin the floor debate on immigration this week, and it is expected to take a vote on its bill before the July 4 holiday. Since the GOP holds a majority in the House, the bill that will emerge from the lower chamber is expected to be more conservative. So eyes will be on the Capitol in the next few weeks to see how the GOP maneuvers itself in the immigration debate. Given recent polling that shows Latino voters will judge Congress based on its support of a bill that includes a pathway to citizenship, the Republicans are in a position to determine the extent that they can appeal to Latino voters in advance of the upcoming midterm elections. It will likely be a contentious time for the immigration debate in the next few weeks.